Photo by Michael Patrick, copyright © 2012 // Buy this photo
Dollywood gave members of the media a glimpse Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012 of its new $20 million Wild Eagle wing roller coaster that will debut in March. The coaster will reach speeds of 61 mph including four inversions and a 135-foot drop. From dispatch to first brake the ride will last 2 minutes and 22 seconds. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)
Photo by Michael Patrick, copyright © 2012
Dollywood's new $20 million Wild Eagle will reach speeds of 61 mph for a 2 minute, 22 second ride. (MICHAEL PATRICK/NEWS SENTINEL)
PIGEON FORGE — With a downward turn in the economy and the fight for tourism dollars growing more intense, Dollywood is hoping its new roller coaster — its sixth one — will fly higher than normal with visitors this season.
For 2012, "guests will be able to fly like an eagle in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains," said Dollywood publicity manager Pete Owens while conducting a media-only tour of the new Wilderness Pass section of the theme park Wednesday.
The crown jewel of the section is the Wild Eagle steel roller coaster, and it isn't just an ordinary ride. It's taller, faster and maneuvers through four inversions including a giant loop, a "zero-G" roll, and a giant flat spin.
"What makes Dollywood special is the uniqueness of the rides we have," he said. "We are looking for ... (rides) that fit into the storyline of Dollywood."
Are Dollywood guests asking for more roller coasters? "Not exclusively," Owens said, though he added that coming up with another thrill ride helps identify the theme park as being more than just a place to see live shows, crafts or festivals.
A $20 million investment, Wilderness Pass, sitting on the highest point at Dollywood, can be found behind the eagle sanctuary and is adjacent to the Blazing Fury ride.
The roller coaster cost Dollywood more than $10 million to create and will hold 28 guests at a time, allowing hundreds to ride it every hour.
The actual ride time is around 2 minutes.
Seats are off to the side, allowing guests' feet to dangle in midair for the duration of the ride. The speed is up to 61 miles per hour at one point.
Dozens of hours of testing — and even using "water dummies" to simulate real human weight on the ride — will start near the end of February, nearly a month before Dollywood opens to the public.
Dollywood has around 2.4 million guests pass through its turnstiles each season, which runs from late March to early January. In 2011, attendance was up slightly from 2010, though Dollywood has had between a 4 to 5 percent slide in attendance in recent years.
A greater emphasis has been placed on local traffic, which usually translates into more multiple visits each season.
Jobs are also created because of the ride, everything from construction crews to employees helping guests. "A $20 million investment has a ripple effect in the economy," Owens said.
Dollywood employs around 2,500 at the peak of the tourism season, the vast majority of which are seasonal positions. In recent years, with jobs harder to find, Dollywood has had less turnover, Owens said.
Dollywood opens to the general public March 24.
© 2012, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 1
MerrieLong writes:
When I was a roller coaster engineer, we'd never build one where the ride lasted longer than 1.3 minutes. For every additional 10 feet of track, you could expect to add $2800 to the building price.
Also, we'd never give them majestic names, such as Wild Eagle. We named ours things like: 'Widowmaker', Spleen Puncher', 'Vomit Inducer', and 'Look, We're All Gonna Die Sometime, Why Not Go Out While Having Fun?!'.
Roller coaster afficianados are not interested in soaring about all gently and smoothly. They wanna get off that ride feeling like they've been worked over by Evander Holyfield (you know the Holyfield from the late 80's-early 90's) just worked 'em over and Edward Scissorhands just coiffed their hair. If you could drop a load of smelly, recycled, pond-like water on 'em at the end, even better!
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